d as he
said, "Of course I add Amen to your last words.--Well then," he
continued, "Aileen's father has refused to allow me to pay my addresses
to his daughter. He has even forbidden me to enter his house, or to
hold any intercourse whatever with her. This unhappy state of things
has induced me to hasten my departure from England. My intention is to
go abroad, make a fortune, and then return to claim my bride, for the
want of money is all that the old gentleman objects to. I cannot bear
the thought of going away without saying good-bye, but that seems now
unavoidable, for he has, as I have said, forbidden me the house."

Edgar looked anxiously at his companion's face, but received no
encouragement there, for Baldwin kept his eyes on the ground, and shook
his head slowly.

"If the old gentleman has forbid you his house, of course you mustn't go
into it. However, it seems to me that you might cruise about the house
and watch till Sus--Aileen, I mean--comes out; but I don't myself quite
like the notion of that either, it don't seem fair an' above-board
like."

"You are right," returned Edgar. "I cannot consent to hang about a
man's door, like a thief waiting to pounce on his treasure when it
opens. Besides, he has forbidden Aileen to hold any intercourse with
me, and I know her dear nature too well to subject it to a useless
struggle between duty and inclination. She is certain to obey her
father's orders at any cost."

"Then, sir," said Baldwin decidedly, "you'll just have to go afloat
without sayin' good-bye. There's no help for it, but there's this
comfort, that, bein' what she is, she'll like you all the better for
it.--Now, here we are at the pier. Boat a-hoy-oy!"

In reply to the diver's hail a man in a punt waved his hand, and pulled
for the landing-place.

A few strokes of the oar soon placed them on the deck of a large clumsy
vessel which lay anchored off the entrance to the harbour. This was the
diver's barge, which exhibited a ponderous crane with a pendulous hook
and chain in the place where its fore-mast should have been. Several
men were busied about the deck, one of whom sat clothed in the full
dress of a diver, with the exception of the helmet, which was unscrewed
and lay on the deck near his heavily-weighted feet. The dress was wet,
and the man was enjoying a quiet pipe, from all which Edgar judged that
he was resting after a dive. Near to the plank on which the diver was
seated there